Sulfur mustard overview

Vesicants, including sulfur mustard and lewisite, are the subject of the second main part of this chapter. Coherences of invasion and distribution are presented, and the major processes of biotransformation and elimination caused by binding to proteins [and more prominently, to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)] are discussed. Finally, we make some comments about current bioanalytical approaches. This chapter provides readers with a comprehensive overview of tire toxicokinetics of OP nerve agents and vesicants. 

Nieuwland, 1904). Unlike sulfur mustard, there has Overview of Lewisite never been a documented use of tiiis substance in armed... 

There is a variety of biomarkers that can verify an exposure to sulfur mustard. Table 61.2 shows an overview of these biomarkers. Analogous to the nerve agents, biomarkers can be distinguished in metabolites that are excreted in urine and adducts to proteins. A disadvantage of the major metabolite, thiodiglycol, is that this compoimd is also present in subjects not exposed to sulfur mustard (Black and Read, 1995 Boyer et al., 2004). In that respect, the protein adducts are more reliable biomarkers for sulfur mustard exposure because these biomarkers point unambiguously to an exposure to sulfur mustard. The sulfur mustard adduct to the N-terminal valine of globin can be analyzed after a... 

Table 6.1 Overview of sulfur mustard-induced long-term effects.

Human volunteers have been exposed in a controlled way to sulfur mustard liquid and vapor in order to observe the adverse effects on the exposed skin (see overview by Papirmeister et al., 1991 ), whereas the effects on the respiratory tract do not appear to have been studied. Furthermore, no reports can be found that describe the toxicokinetics of sulfur mustard in humans. 

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